Improved apparatus for purifying saccharine liquids, and tor curing



aient (dimite.

WILLIAM BANCRGFT ESPENT,

HOF SPANISH TOWN, `IAMAICA.

Lette-rs Patent No. 94,298, lated 'August 31, 1869.

:IMPROVED APPARAT'S FOR PURIFYING SACCHARINE LIQUIDS, AND :FOR CURIG,

DRYING, AND TREA'IING- SUGAR -AN'D OTHER MATERIALS. l

The` Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and`making part of the same.

To all to whom these presents shall come:

I, WJLLIAM Bascnor'r Esrnsr, of Spanish Town, Jamaica,-Esquire, send greeting. Y

Know ye that I, the said WILLIAM axcnorr Es- PENT, have invented a new and improved Method of Curing, Drying, and Extracting 4Molasses, and other Fluids, from Sugar, and other substances generally', and of filtering cane-j nice, and other sac'charine juices, and other juices and iiuids generally, and apparatus to be employed therein respectively.

I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the' accompanying drawings, and the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention consists of' two distinct operations and apparatus, each having its special object.

For convenience, I will describe them separately.

First, that of a new and improved method of' curing, drying, and extracting molasses, and other fluids, fi'oni sugar, and other substances generally, and apparatus to be employed therein, which consists in placing the substance upon a sieve of' wire-gauze, or other open inaterial, placed in a vessel of iron, or Aother suitable material, so constructed yas to be made air-tight when closed, and. capable of' resisting the pressure of' the atmosphere when vacuum iscreated within.

Before proceeding further, I here declare that the. word substance shall mean suga-r, corn, grain, seeds, flour, meal, cotton, wech-silk, cloth, wood or lother pulp, fibre, chemical substances', and all other substances generally, which require to be cured or dried, or from which fluid has to be extracted, or the germinating-principle of which has to be destroyed.

I also declare that the word fluid shall mean niolasses, sirup, water, juice, gum, albumen, gluten, or any of them, or other fluids, present in such substances as aforesaid. i

I also declare that the word sieve shall mean a strainer, made of wire-gauze metal, metal wire, or other perforated or porous substances applicable f'or the purpose.

In Figure 1, the operation is thus shown:

A represents the substance to be cured, dried, or from which fluid has to bc extracted, or thc germinatingprinciple of which has to be destroyed, which is placed in the vessel B, and rests 0n a sieve, (l, so constructed as to retain the substance, while allowing the fluid contained in such substance to pass, percolate,\or be drawn through it.

The vessel being closed and made air-tight by means of' the cover D, the joint being made tight by India rubber washer, thc atmospheric pressure being thereby excluded, and vacuum heilig formed in the` space E below the sieve C, through the pipe F, by means ot suction or air-pun1ps, the fall of' liquids, or any, other known method, the fluid matter falling from the sub` st-ance by the force of gravitation, assisted by the expansiou of the air present above A, in the vessel D, passes through the sieve C, and isin this way separated or extracted.

In vacuo, all things fall equally by the earths attraction, but the sieve O, while allowing the fluid to pass through it, retains above it the subst-ance which contained the fluid.

When the air inthe substance and in the vessel has been expanded as far as possible, and when vacuum has been formed to the greatest extent procura-ble, which will be 'ascertained by means of the vacuumgauge H, placed in the cover of the vessel B, at mospheric air, supcrheated steam, or hot or dry air, (whichever is required either to dry, bake, or destroy germinatiom) is admitted by rneans of a tap or valve, G, fitted iu the cover D of the vessel for the purpose.

This air, snperheated steam, or hot or dry air, as.

the case may be, on'being admitted, rushes through the substance A, to restore equilibrium in the vacuumspace E, below the sieve G, and in so rushing through, takes with it such fluid matter as Vmay not have been already extracted by the, expansion of the air above the substance, or cures, dries,.bakes, or destroys the germmating-principle in thc substances, as may be required.

By my process, then, continued pressure of the atmosphere is removed, and the admission of air, super heated steam, or hot or dry air, is placed completely under cont-rol, to be used or applied only in such Inanncr as may be requisite.

The vessel can be of any-size or shape, if constructed as described, and may be fitted wit-ha side door or opening for withdrawing the substance when dried, and with a liquoring-sieve in the cover.v

Second, that of a new and improved method of' filtering cane -juice, .and other saccharine juices, or other juices or tluids generally, and in the apparatus employed therein, which consists in filtering the juice or fluid so rapidly as to secure it from fermentation or decomposition without the application of' heat.

Before describing the process, I here declare Athat the words juice or fluid shall mean the fluid matter of vegetables, (their juices, gums, &c.,) and any chemical or other substance in a iiuidrstatc.

I also declare that the word filter shall mean tiltering-substances, either animal or other charcoal, cloth, sand, felt, or any other filtering-agent; and that the word filtering shall mean the passage of the juice or fluid through'such filter The ordinary processes of' filtering are so slow that juices or fluids liable to become acid, ferment, or decompose, cannot be filtered rapidly enough to prevent such acidity, fermentation, or decomposition, unless saccharine plants, before the separation from it of the earthy and mechanical impurities'present in the juice .or fluid is effected, coagulates the albumeu ,or gluten also present in the juice or fluid, and in this way these earthy and mechanical impurities become xed in and inseparable'rom the coagulated albumen and gluten, or either of them.

To avoidthis, then, it is necessary that the juice or fluid should be filtered, without the application of heat, rapidly enough to prevent acidity, fermentation, or decomposition.

To eii'ect this, I place a filter either in or below the juice or Huid, and I create a vacuum on that side of the filter which is farthest from the fluid or juice on the other side of the filter.

The juice or iluid being subject or exposed to the influences of the atmosphere, the air, by its pressure,

v before restoring equilibrium on that side of the lter where vacuum has been formed, must drive through the filter, thefluid which is present on the outer side of the filter between it and the air.

A reference to the annexed drawings will more fully explain it.

Figure 2.

A is the suction-pipe of a pump.'

B is a metal, vessel, fixed air-tight on to A at a a, filled with the filtering-substance.

C is the vessel for holding the juice to be filtered.

D represents, with the shaded lines, the juice itself.

Vacuum being created in A by any means, the pressure of the atmosphere forces the juice through the filtering-substance into the p'ipe A, in the direction shown by the arrows.

Figure 3.

A represents a stratum of liltering-substance;

B, the juice vto be filtered;

G, the suction-pipe of a pump; and' D, the space in which vacuum is formed by means of -the pump, or by any other known method.

Vacuum being formed in D, the juice B is driven, by the force of the atmosphere, through the filteringsubstance A into the pipe C.

The juice or Huid thus driven through the filter isA any quantity in any giventime, as it onlyv depends upon the size of the filter and the extent of the vacuum obtained, to obtain any degree of rapidity.

The juice may be perfectly cold, or heated to any temperature, as most convenient.V

The filter may be of any size or shape.v

Wh'at I claim as my invention, and what I desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The extraction of uids from substances containing them, by placing the substance to be operated on upon a sui-face of wire gauze or other open material, forming the bot-tom of a chamber, which, when. the substance has been introduced, is closed air-tight by a cover. Beneath this chamber, there is a space in which rvacuum being formed by any means, the air above the substance being expanded, forces its way down throughY the substance into the vacu im-space, and in so doing carries with it the moisture from the substance. l

Also, the ltering of raw and-fermentable juices and fiuids by causing the juice or uid to be driven rapidly through filtering-substances by the force of the atmosphere in its endeavor to restore equilibrium Vin the vacuum-space within, or in theA inner side of the filtering-substance.

In witness whereof, I, the said WILLrAM BANcRoF'r EsPENT, have hereunto set my hand, this 27th dayot' W. BANGROFT ESPENT.

In our presence, who have witnessed the signature of the said XVILLIAM BANCRQFT ESPENT:

W. ALLWo'oD, A. W. HI'rcHIxs. 

